Autonomous vehicles including aerial vehicles, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), can be used in package deliveries, farmland surveys, search and rescue operations, railway inspections, and surveillance operations, etc. Drones may also be used inside a retail store or a supermarket for conducting inventory management such as cycle counting, moving products, etc. Although the retail store generally has a fairly open inside space where periods of low traffic exist, the store may still have many areas with consistently high traffic. There is a need for drones to conduct intermittent flights during a mission in a way that maximizes drone flight time while performing work and enhancing safety by avoiding interactions with people.